Rogue ISO Leg Press vs TITAN T bar row machine
This is a comparison of the Rogue Iso leg press and the TITAN T bar row machine including pros, cons, and alternatives. Follow the links for more details.
Overview and review of the TITAN T bar row machine $489
This is an overview of the TITAN T bar row machine including pros, cons and alternatives. This article was originally posted in Which gym machine to get from TITAN. Follow the links for additional information.
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Overview of the TITAN T bar row machine
The
TITAN T bar row machine is their take on a classic in every gym. Most movie montages with bodybuilders will include some type of the
t bar row and with good reason. The
T bar row is a staple in building bigger backs and putting on mass. With a dedicated station for
T bar rows you save time for the setup and can go heavier. This station takes up considerable space and therefore might be not the best option for a home gym. In my opinion a commercial gym that wants to provide strength to their clients absolutely needs one of these. The full specifications of the
TITAN T bar row machine are:
- Dual diamond plated footplates for grip
- Vertical and horizontal grip handles with a durable rubber grip
- Adjustable handle height
- Includes holes for bolting the machine to the floor
- Olympic sized weight plate holders
- Tough, solid steel construction is long-lasting and dependable
- Powder-coated paint job prevents rust and early scuffing
- Overall Height: 22.5-in.
- Overall Length: 39.5-in.
- Overall Width: 85-in.
- Footplate Dimensions: 15.75-in x 8.65-in.
- Grip Handle Diameter: 25 mm.
- Weight Sleeve Length: 12.7-in.
- Knurling: Medium Diamond Texture
- Finish: Powder-Coated Black
- Material: 2-in x 2-in 11-GA Steel
- Weight Capacity: 440 lb.
- Product Weight: 150 lb.
This is a great addition to any commercial gym that has the space.
Pros of the TITAN T bar row machine
One of the main advantages of buying from TITAN fitness is that they undercut their competition on most of their products by half. The
T bar row is no exception in this. As a
T bar row station is no rocket science to build, you should try to save some money on it. Where I would lean towards spending a little more are
belt squat machines,
barbells, and
functional trainers. These take a little more care and engineering to build well.
The frame of the
T Bar row is heavy and can take big weights and athletes. If you have people rowing multiple
plates on a regular basis,this is the machine to get.
A big advantage of
T bar rows is that you can load them very heavy fairly easy. With a
barbell you always need to load on both ends, while with a
T bar row you can just keep adding at the front. With the station it also means that the pin rests in a place where you can immediately add
plates without the need to jack up a
barbell.
Compared to
barbell rows
t bar rows also behave a little differently as the weight moves inside the athlete's frame rather than outside of it. It is a minor thing, but it can be nice to break the routine and row on a
t bar, rather than with a
barbell.
Cons of the TITAN T bar row machine
The main point against a T-Bar row machine is that it eats up a lot of space to only do one thing.
Barbell rows can pretty much do the same thing and also leave more room for variations. This makes the
T Bar row a bad choice for home gyms that need to save space. Here a landmine combined with a
barbell handle for
t bar rows comes in handy.
The price of a
T bar row machine is hard to justify, if you already have
plates and a
barbell. With this equipment you can build your back and row the heck out of your body to get bigger already.
Alternatives for the TITAN T bar row machine
The
TITAN chest supported adjustable row bench is a very specific machine that minimizes the activation of the entire body in the row to focus on the back only. This is popular with powerlifters and strongmen, but not necesserily the best machine to get for the average commercial gym. It also puts your body at a 45 degree angle to make the exercise more stable and challenging.
The
TITAN Adjustable prone row machine is a variation on the
barbell row which allows full extension of the arms when rowing while lying flat. This is also a good exercise for building your back which is popular among powerlifters and bodybuilders. Therefore this machine is more geared towards the "hardcore" gyms rather than the more mainstream ones. In a home gym setting you might give up too much space for a machine that can only do one thing.
The
plate loaded seated row is a classic you find in many gyms up and down the country. If you have a spacious home gym this is an option as it takes up little space compared to other machines. For a commercial setting i think one of these is a must. In very frequented commercial gyms you might want to consider a version with its own weight stack rather than a
plate loaded one to save time for your customers.
The Rogue T bar machine is the direct competitor of the
TITAN T bar row. The price difference between the TITAN and Rogue version is $200. If you only want to do T bar rows, get the TITAN version and save yourself $200. The main difference in design is that the Rogue version also allows for band pegs to be used so you can do banded rows. If you are big into the west side method in your gym, get the Rogue one instead, as attaching bands to the TITAN version is awkward at best. Remember to add the band pegs to your order with Rogue as there are none included on the T bar row order (on
rack orders this happens automatically).
If you want to
T bar row in your home gym, try to get the cheapest landmine attachment for your
rack and a handle for your
barbell. Also keep the handle relatively small so that it is easy to store. Otherwise it will just be in the way most of the times. For a homegym that only fits a
rack, this is the best option to do
T bar rows. In a home gym you also do not have to worry that you will wreck the equipment for setting it up for the
T bar row.
Conclusion for the TITAN T bar row machine
The
TITAN T bar row machine is a great option for any commercial gym to save cost and still provide a proper
t bar row to their clients, I personally think a
T bar row machine is a requirement for a commercial gym that has the necessary floor space. Get rid of one of the many bench stations most of the big gyms have and install a
T bar row instead. The general gym rat population should do more rows anyway. In a home gym scenario the
T bar row is a massive one trick pony that eats into your space. Attach a landmine to your
rack instead and get a handle while minimizing cost on thise. If you are not careful you might shell out up to $500 on these two items in total so try to keep it cheap, unless money is not an issue for you.
Overview and review of the Rogue ISO Leg Press
Price: 4.750
This review was originally posted in the longer article "Which strength equipment to buy from rogue" in which you can read about 25 products of Rogue which cost more than 1.000$. The Rogue ISO leg press is a machine for the advanced athlete to perform the leg press. See the details in this article.
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Overview of the Rogue ISO Leg press
The
Rogue Iso Leg press is one of the products of Rogue
which have recently appeared in the portfolio. In my opinion, you can clearly see that Rogue wants to use the
Lat pulldown machine,
Prone Leg Curl and
ISO Leg press to gain market share in the commercial gym sector to diversify their business beyond CrossFit gyms. While Rogue has already mastered the mass production of
barbells and
rigs, the production of big machines is done more manual. You might get a cheaper, more refined machine from somewhere else who has specialized in these for decades. Still, this will be most likely not American made and definitely not fit the rest of your Rogue gym setup.
The future looks promising as the
Rhino Belt Squat has been a great release with a positive reception in the market. I am sure rogue will take the new technological developments from the
50 cals (locking system) and the
Rhino (Pulley System) to create more refined machines in the future
which will take over the market.
The
Rogue ISO press can load up to 2475lb and has four load pegs. Rogue claims a 60% true weight ratio for the
leg press. Machines are often criticized that too much of the load gets lost and does not have an effect on the lifter. This is why you see some people on Youtube leg pressing a bunch of
plates and four Chinese girls on a
leg press machine. They have better leverage than in a
barbell squat.
The
Rogue ISO leg press weighs 708lbs with a footprint of 64'' x 98''. It is 98'' long, 64'' wide and 47'' high.
Pros of the Rogue ISO Leg Press
Rogue has paid attention to the feedback from other machines by working on the true weight ratio. The four loadable pegs will go down well with your stronger clients who like big machines and also cannot find sufficient machinery in other gyms.
The fact that each leg can be addressed individually will be interesting to rehab clients and professional athletes alike. Not many
leg press machines bear this feature.
You will also get a
machine that has been made by American hands in Columbus. There is quite some work to be done to finish this beast and you will always know that this has been done by an American.
Cons of the Rogue ISO Leg Press
The
leg press machine is a single purpose machine with a relatively big footprint. This does not make it a suitable option for most gyms with a small footprint. You will also be buying outside of Rogues core business with less volume. Expect that customer services have fewer options to help you out with parts/replacements/repairs as the order volume on these is lower. There is less storage to draw from and all parts are welded together for the
ISO (
which means if you want to return it, they probably have to weld another from scratch or move someone else's order).
For this price, especially if you buy multiple, maybe ask Rogue whether you can inspect the machines on site before delivery. Bring your biggest and smallest athlete/client&relative, Based on the test ask whether small alterations can be made before the machines are finished (coated etc) and shipped.
How many clients should this leg press bring you?
If you think that the
ISO leg press will bring you 16 new clients who pay you 50$ on a 1-year retainer it is worth the investment. This will yield 9.600$ net new revenue against an investment of 4.750$. Adjust the numbers for your own gym accordingly.
Alternatives to the ISO leg press
Here are some alternatives to the
Rogue Iso leg press which come in at roughly the same budget.
The
Rogue Wingspan Rig only costs about 250 USD more but is an all in one gym for that price. You have a
pull-up station,
rack, lots of storage room, a
crown pull up bar for various grip variations and space to store up to five
barbells. While the
ISO leg press is on one end of the spectrum as a leg training giant, this is one of the most versatile options from Rogue in the same price range.
This would be an alternative for a weightlifting gym that has no need for
pull up bars and has a lot of space. You have to teach your clients how to drop a
bar safely when there is enough room. The
Rhino belt squat can be used by athletes with shoulder injuries or for heavy squats/volume work. It still loads enough weights for mere mortals.
The belt squat is the poor man's version of the
leg press. It does more for balance and natural movement patterns and can not be loaded as heavy as the
Rhino Belt Squat or
Leg press machine. If you already have
jerk blocks or pylo jump boxes this is probably the most cost-efficient version to get close to a
leg press. Be aware that the setup is tedious and the injury risk is high if you do not assist your clients in setting this up.
Conclusion
With the Rogue Iso Leg press you will get a fully welded, American made leg press machine. The specialty of this leg press machine is that you can work one leg at a time or both optionally. With some extra space to add plates to the leg press and special attention to a maximum carry over of the weight to the lifter this leg press is for serious gyms that do not want to compromise.